Rated one of Pennsylvania's top blog/sites, the LuLac Political Letter delves into issues of politics on all levels (with special concentration on Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties: thus the name LULAC) and pop culture.
The LuLac Political Letter was also named Best Political Blog of the Year for 2014 by NEPA BLOGCON and most recently David Yonki was named Best Blogger of the year 2015 by the publication Diamond City.
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
The LuLac Edition #3916, October 31st, 2018
WRITE ON WEDNESDAY
Our “Write On Wednesday” logo
The Citizens’ Voice has come out in favor of incumbent Matt Cartwright for re-election. Their compelling argument is our “WOW” for today.
CARTWRIGHT FOR 8TH DISTRICT
Cartography has not been kind to John Chrin, the Republican candidate in the 8th Congressional District. A Northampton County native who has spent most of his professional life living in New Jersey while working in New York City as an investment banker, Chrin already faced a tough sell regarding residency when he retreated across the Delaware River last year to challenge Matt Cartwright, the three-term Democratic incumbent in the 17th District. Chrin bought a house in the district, then the state Supreme Court redrew the gerrymandered state congressional map. To challenge Cartwright in the newly drawn 8th District, Chrin bought a residence at Sky Top, Monroe County, and he gladly will show you his voter registration card to prove that he lives in the district. But for reasons beyond political musical chairs, The Citizens' Voice editorial board endorses Cartwright,who has practiced law and lived in Lackawanna County for decades, for a fourth term. Cartwright is a pragmatist who has worked across the aisle with members of the Republican majority to further the interests of Northeast Pennsylvania. He strived, for example, to end pay disparities based on classifications within the work force at Tobyhanna Army Depot, the region’s largest employer. That has been worth many millions of dollars to the regional economy. And he pressed for a law that changes the analysis determining how work is outsourced from TAD to help make the depot more competitive and to retain jobs. If, as many analysts predict, Democrats recapture the House majority, Cartwright is well-positioned to further help the district. He is a member of the Appropriations Committee, and would have greater influence in the majority. Cartwright also is a member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. Chrin, despite being highly educated and an accomplished investment banker — an industry that makes money by accurately assessing risk — cannot even bring himself to admit that human-driven climate change is a fact. It “could be real,” he said in an interview, fearing to challenge the climate change denial orthodoxy of the party base. Chrin is smart and likely competent, but he has not presented a compelling case for displacing Cartwright, who already has established a record for those traits while in office. https://www.citizensvoice.com/opinion/cartwright-for-8th-district-1.2403834
9th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT DEBATE BETWEEN MEUSER AND WOLFF
Meuser and Wolff (Photo: Eyewitness News)
Tonight the candidates for Congress in the new Congressional 9th District squared off for a lively debate at WVIA TV Studios. Larry Voitko was the moderator. Panelists were Dave Bohman from WNEP TV, Peter Bortner from The Republican Herald and Professor Chris Hallenbrook from Bloomsburg University. Meuser touted his experience in the Department of Revenue saying it was the most improved Department under his tenure. He also spoke of his time as a private businessman. Wolff explained his role as a Dairy Farmer who helped modernize and economize the lot of family farms. He also touted his role in Camp Victory., a special camp for Children. Wolff says he espouses rural values and says Washington is in dire need of them. Wolff came out swinging saying Meuser lacks the temperament to be in Congress and pointed to the inaccuracies hurled at him. Wolff accused Meuser of saying Democrats were worse than ISIS, said Meuser refused to shake his hand after a debate telling him to go to hell and pointed out the more than $80,000 Medicare legal issue with Pride Mobility. After hearing this, Meuser said he wasn’t getting down in the mud with Wolff but then came after him for being for Nancy Pelosi and Sanctuary Cities as well as illegal immigration. On Health care, Wolff said he would protect preexisting conditions. Meuser said something odd to me on health care saying that the only way to fix health care was to repeal and replace it. How Meuser plans to do this is strange since a Republican lead House and Senate couldn’t do it in 4 years! Then Meuser said insurance should be sold across state lines (okay not bad) but then said it should be sold like car insurance. He never explained to Wolff how he was going to get lower premiums for people. On immigration this is where Meuser towed the GOP line saying that immigrants and people in caravans should not be burning flags on the way in. I must have missed that! He then talked about Sanctuary cities and how local police need to work with ICE and not be handcuffed in any manner. Wolff kept going back to the fact that the Congress has never fixed immigration and that the 12 million here should be processed with Wolff favoring a temporary Visa system. He said those with criminal records should be deported. When asked what should be done with the immigration issue, Meuser reverted to Pelosi, the wall and law and order. On legalization of marijuana, Meuser said recreational use should not have a huge penalty and that revenue could be obtained from it. Wolff said he was not in favor of that usage calling himself old school and believing it was still a gateway drug. On the tax cuts Meuser said that more than $1000 to $2000 in has been put in the pockets of workers. He said he would favor an extension of the middle class tax cuts. Wolff said the middle class didn’t make out on the tax cut saying the rich got $54,000 in tax cuts while others got considerably less. Wolff said he was concerned the deficit was ballooning and claimed he was the only Conservative on stage. Meuser shot back saying he voted for McCain, Romney and Trump in the last three elections and asked Wolff who he voted for. Wolff said none of those and Meuser made his point about philosophies. On Climate change Meuser brought up the Clean Air Act of 1972 and how the water and air were cleaner than when he was a kid. Wolff said climate change is man made. He said he didn’t want businesses killed with regulations either and said you can’t argue with science. Meuser said we all should stop polluting this issue with politics. On guns, Meuser said he followed the Constitution and was for responsible gun use. Wolff said he was for Expanded background checks with more timely info updated making sure three categories were spotlighted, criminals, people with PFAs and mental illness Meuser said his way of rebuilding the middle class was to have private capital investment rebuild the towns in the district. He then brought up Obama care saying by repealing it, growth would be increased. So you grow by repealing it? Wolff said that “The Life you lead makes you the person you are.” In his closing statement he hammered Meuser by saying his company imported 34,000 tons of products from China for his business. He said Meuser had 5 houses, a fleet of cars and two planes. He then said that taxpayers support his opponent’s business since most of the profits are made from Medicate recipients. Okay but wouldn’t they also have private investments too? Meuser ended by again talking about his time as Revenue Secretary and how he could bring stability to the new district pointing our especially flood protection. He said both he and Wolff had different ideas about how to represent the district and the voters would make that decision. Indeed. The debate will be rebroadcast on WVIA TV tomorrow afternoon at 4pm.
Matt Cartwright and John Chrin (Photo: Politics Pa)
The long awaited debate between Congressman Matt Cartwright and his challenger John Chrin took place at WVIA TV. Moderator Larry Voitko did a bang up job. Both men pretty much came out swinging with opposite stances on how the district could be represented. Residency and longevity of living in it seemed to be an issue in the debate. Both men were competing against each other as to who was in Pennsylvania longer. A fact that I was unaware of was that Matt Cartwright was born in Erie, then moved to Canada. You'd think Cartwright was a member of the Canadian Mounties the way Chrin talked about that connection. Chrin outlined his 10 generations in Pennsylvania. Cartwright talked about the fact that he stayed in the region after getting married and represented middle class people in court. On job creation, Chrin pointed to his days as an investment banker where he created employment by helping business get off the ground with his business expertise. Cartwright said Chrin was a job eliminator with Chrin's career as a Wall Street maven. Cartwright pointed to his time on the Appropriations committee and the money (more than 30 million) he brought into the area despite being in the Minority. Cartwright also said that he was rated number one for working with Republicans across the aisle, touting the fact he had two bills he authored signed in his office, one signed by Barack Obama, the other by Donald Trump. On coal, both agreed that other methods for mining it have been driven by the market and that a return to excavating coal here would be an expensive proposition. It got contentious when they sparred over Health Care. Chrin said that Medicare For All would bust the budget and the country could not afford it. Cartwright said that he could see a Medicare opt in for people between the ages of 50-64 and said that the GOP which gave tax breaks to 83% of the 1% would pay for them by cutting Medicare and Medicaid. They did say nice things about one another when asked. Both said they respected each other's commitment to their respective marriages. The closing arguments featured Chrin saying that Cartwright was a Maxine Waters and Nancy Pelosi Democrat. Cartwright focused in on his record of accomplishments and that he would protect Medicare for Senior citizens. Both made their pitch in this race for the newly formed 8th which encompasses Luzerne, Lackawanna, Pike, Wayne and Monroe Counties. The debate wlil be repeated tomorrow afternoon on WVIA TV at 4pm.
WAGNER CAMPAIGN TO SPEND ONE MILLION DOLLARS ON TV ADS UNTIL ELECTION DAY
The Wagner for Governor campaign today announced it will continue its statewide advertising blitz by spending $1 million on television this week. Part of the buy will include a new commercial, contrasting Tom Wolf’s poverty perpetuating policies with Scott Wagner’s pro-paycheck agenda. “Conserving our resources has paid off, and we’re now able to deploy them when voters are paying the most attention to the race,” Campaign Manager Jason High said of the buy. “We're confident that our increased presence on the airwaves down the stretch will help make clear to voters that Scott is the right candidate to lead Pennsylvania for the next four years.” The Wagner for Governor campaign last week kicked off a final two week television advertising push by spending $750,000.
11 people were killed in Pittsburgh Saturday. At a synagogue by an avowed hater of Jewish people. He also was a person who posted his thoughts against Jewish people on Social Media. This is again nothing new but a bit different. It has been deemed a hate crime, very similar to the murders at a black church in 2015.When you kill someone in this country as they worship the God of their choice, it is a federal offense. The hate mongering loser will face justice. His actions will be remembered and mourned. But his significance as someone other than a hateful killer will remain the only thing his sorry life will be noted for. It is more than a coincidence hat this shooter seemed to connect George Soros as the driver of the Caravan that right wingers are telling people are "invaders". It can't be proven yet but one day after the van guy gets nipped, this happens against peace loving Jews in a suburb little known to most people in America. And not for nothing BUT does any civilian NEED one of these AR-15 rifles? There will be another shooting down the road because unfortunately that’s how we roll in America. Even when we worship our versions of God.
TONY GEORGE ANNOUNCES INTENTION TO RUN FOR SECOND TERM AS MAYOR OF WILKES BARRE
Wilkes Barre Mayor Tony George, before a packed house at The Anthracite Cafe announced his intention to seek a second term as Mayor of Wilkes Barre. George cited the steady improvements made to the City under his tenure. He acknowledged the help from Washington D.C. as well as Harrisburg. Both Congressman Matt Cartwright and Eddie Day Pashinski were part of the program. George's announcement drew a roar of approval from those in attendance.
8th DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE THIS WEEK ON 44
Tune in Monday at 7pm to see incumbent Congressman Matt Cartwright debate his challenger John Chrin on WVIA TV. Larry Voitko is the moderator.
TRUMP DEFENDERS BRINGING UP BERNIE AND THE SOFTBALL FIELD SHOOTINGS
In their tepid defense of President Trump his defenders are now bringing up the accused shooter in the Congressional softball field shootings in 2017. Apples and oranges. Actually more like Watermelons and grapes. Bernie never incited crowds with personal, invective attacks. He never stood smirking like a bloated peacock reciting a list of people who he thinks wrong him personally. Encouraging a crowd to make the media and public servants, duly elected by the electoral process, casting them as enemies of the people. Bernie never blamed "fake news" for his loss. He never whined about "how the media mistreats me". Diaper Don has never discouraged this type of thing. He reads from a prompter (oh this has no place) and then goes right back at it. Think about it! This was a full scale assassination attempt on opposition leaders of his own country. We fought against this SHIT in WWII to protect the freedoms your party so selectively uses in its arguments. Diaper may not have made the bombs but for Christ sake, his campaign gave lunatics permission to go after people physically and with murder in mind. All that said, these defenders helped me add an accomplishment to my bucket list. I always wanted to know someone who was a member of a cult. You know a devotee who will defend anything at anytime with any stretch of logic to justify their cult master and leader's behavior. It appears that I know many who are full blown members. Crossing "Know members of a cult" off my list.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP ENDORSES JOHN CHRIN FOR CONGRESS
John Chrin’s campaign announced that John had received President Donald Trump’s endorsement for his campaign to represent Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district. President Trump released the following statement this afternoon. “John Chrin of Pennsylvania is fantastic. He is strong on the Border, Crime, the Military, our Vets and the 2nd Amendment. He is a powerful vote for #MAGA and loves the Great State of Pennsylvania. Please get out and vote for John, he has my Total and very Strong Endorsement!” said President Trump. “Thank you, President Donald Trump, for your strong endorsement of my campaign! Under your leadership and economic vision, hardworking Northeastern Pennsylvanians and all Americans are benefiting. I will fight for Northeastern PA in Congress!” said Chrin. John is a 10th generation Pennsylvanian, Monroe County resident, political outsider, and successful self-made business leader with over thirty years of experience in the private sector. He has created thousands of jobs over his career and will use this vast experience for the benefit of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Trump will certainly hep with the base but will he enough to pull Chrin over the finish line against a three term incumbent? I'm amazed that there hasn't been more national attention given to this race. Both are fighting hard but I'm wondering how many people dislike Trump more than they do Nancy Pelosi? That may tell the story on this race.
NEWSMAKERS LOOK AT THE U.S. GOVERNOR’S RACE BETWEEN THE “W” BOYS, SCOTT WAGNER AND TOM WOLF.
WE TALK ABOUT WAGNER BECAUSE WOLF NEVER GOT BACK TO THE PRODUCERS
ALSO ELECTION OFFICIALS FROM LUZERNE COUNTY
THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
FRIDAY OCTOBER 26th, WBRE TV 11:30am
SATURDAY OCTOBER 27th, WYOU TV 11:30am
NAACP DINNER CANCELLED
Just a reminder that the NAACP Dinner set for Saturday night at the Westmoreland Club has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Money will be refunded and checks returned.
SHOW YOUR JERSEY (SPORTSWEAR, NOT THE STATE NEXT TO US!!!) PRIDE AT ANTHRACITE SUNDAY
SEE HENRY-PASHINSKI DEBATE HERE NOW!!!
Thanks to our good friend Scott Cannon for providing the You Tube link for the Forum held Tuesday night at The Jewish Community Center in Wilkes Barre. Here's where you can find him and then enjoy that forum, which frankly seemed more like a debate to me.
SCAVO CLEANS BLAKE'S CLOCK
Frank Scavo at the debate (Photo: Scavo Facebook)
22nd District candidate for Senator Frank Scavo cleaned Property Tax opponent John Blake's clock the other night in a debate. The Times Tribune gave it page 9 treatment. Hey, it's their right but Scavo took it to Blake on Property Tax Limitation as well as why Blake cast the deciding vote along with killing it. It is beyond me why anyone living in the Scranton School District would pull a lever for Blake, a Mellow lackey who doesn't seem to understand that Property Taxes go to fund corruption in The Scranton School District!
BOMBS TARGETED AT DEMOCRATS
You all know the story about how Democratic officials were the targets of pipe bombs in the mail. Years ago there would have been shock, anger and outrage by both parties. But even the threat of KILLING members of an opposition group seems to have been shrugged off by some. A few observations. 1. Trump's words are pretty hollow given the fact that he never even (as of this edition) had the decency to call up or meet with those who were threatened. 2. The woman who incited the crowd in Wisconsin should be ashamed of herself. But the GOP will bring up Maxine Waters and everyone else to deflect criticism of this one whose name isn't even worthy of anyone's mention. 3. The President himself smirked when his denizens started to scream "Lock Her Up:. Funny, the guy who said that on the campaign trail, a General plead guilty, right? . 4. The dangerous part and threat to America is not from Trump but his blind supporters who have become willing co-conspirators to the person who built the bombs and sent them. The words "hoax", "gee the package doesn't look right, looks phony" are words of people who will tell any lie, believe any untruth and spout any nonsense to bolster their argument. Who would dream that the Veterans of WWII who fought for Democracy would see the same thing they gave life and limb for in their country by their children and grand children. The bombs were real, the threats were real. The only thing "fake" about them was the reaction of some sorry assed individuals who know should know better.
ARE WE A BANANA REPUBLIC?
Almost there under this guy.
1. Demonizing the media. 2. Saying every report is fake. 3. Threatening reporters and taunting them in huge crowds. It even happened locally last year where media personal had to leave a side door because of the thuggish behavior of some. WE are on our way. And when we get there and when the rights of those cheering this behavior are stamped out, let them find comfort in the hate they sowed.
LIMBAUGH NEVER DISAPPOINTS
Rush Limbaugh is still broadcasting his bullshit. Said the plots designed by Democrats on Wednesday. Then this morning he says he wants to protect the safety of Democrats by voting them out of office. This deaf, dumb and blind doofus said this about Biden, the Clintons, Eric Holder and President Obama. All NOT in office. FOOL!
WAGNER CAMPAIGN RELEASES NEW TELEVISION AD: “AUCTIONEER”
SPOT CONTRASTS HOME FORECLOSURES UNDER WOLF WITH SCHOOL TAX ELIMINATION UNDER WAGNER
The Wagner for Governor campaign continued its final television advertising blitz by releasing a new commercial that makes clear the difference between Scott Wagner and Tom Wolf on taxes. The 30 second spot contrasts Wolf’s desire to increase taxes with Wagner’s commitment to cutting them. “The decision facing voters on November 6th is very simple,” said Campaign Manager Jason High. “If Pennsylvanians want a governor who will try to impose record tax increases and who will refuse to eliminate school property taxes then they should give Tom Wolf four more years. But if they want a Governor who will lower taxes on employers and eliminate school property taxes then Scott Wagner is the only choice in this race.” Earlier this week Wagner placed a television ad buy of over $750,000 on three spots illustrating how he will lower taxes and health care costs.
MEDIA MATTERS
WALN TV
BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM
This week's guest is Dr. John Farrell, Geisinger Radiologist, discussing breast cancer. Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400-The Game, NEPA's Fox .Sports Radio and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River.
ECTV LIVE
Any doubt the seasons are changing? Here's proof. ECTV Live welcomes Tom Fritz to the program during the week of October 29th to unveil plans for this year's Scranton Santa Parade!
ECTV Live can be seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas) and is aired during the Noon, 6pm and Midnight hours each day of the week. Following Monday's Live program the show will become available on Electric City Television's YouTube channel which can be viewed on your computer.
BUDDY RUMCHEK
Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”
THE FREDDIE FACTOR
Tune in every Sunday at 3pm on WILK Newsradio for The Freddy Factor. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder why but in the end, it will be one hell of a good time!
BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP
SUNDAY NIGHTS!
1960
Our 1960 logo
With less than two weeks left in the U.S. presidential campaign, eggs and tomatoes were thrown at Republican candidate Richard Nixon at various campaign stops in Michigan. At Muskegon, an egg struck Nixon's coat and hit a Secret Service man, while other items were thrown at Grand Rapids and at Jackson….. The Food for Peace program was created by unanimous vote of the U.N. General Assembly, providing for nations with food surpluses to supply "the largest practicable quantities" to nations in need, "at low cost, payable in local currencies… Three American surgeons from the University of Vermont became the first persons to describe a new development in medicine, microvascular surgery or, more commonly, microsurgery.... In an address to the gathering of the American Heart Association in St. Louis, Dr. Julius H. Jacobson II, told how he and two colleagues, Dr. Ernesto L. Suarez and Dr. Donald B. Miller, had successfully used an otologist's operating microscope, normally used for ear surgery, to successfully reconnect small blood vessels within a dog. Dr. Jacobson would later be referred to among vascular surgeons as "the father of microsurgery"… A plane carrying the California Polytechnic College football team crashed on takeoff from Toledo, Ohio, killing 24 of the 48 persons on board. The Cal Poly team was on its way home to San Luis Obispo after a 50–6 loss to Bowling Green State University earlier in the day…. In Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) made his professional boxing debut, defeating Tunney Hunsaker (a 30-year-old prizefighter who was also the police chief of Fayetteville, West Virginia) in a six-round bout...... Nine days before Election Day in the United States, Vice-President and Republican candidate Richard Nixon outraged President Dwight Eisenhower, at a White House luncheon, by pointedly refusing the President's offer to make campaign speeches in the final week. Eisenhower told RNC Chairman Len Hall, "Goddamnit, he looks like a loser to me."..in Pennsylvania the campaign for President is the min attraction because there is no race for Governor or Senate, in the state and also in Wilkes Barre, Pittston and Scranton John F Kennedy travels through the Rt 11 to large crowds. Throngs saw him in
Nanticoke,
Wilkes Barre,
Pittston
and Scranton where he arrived at 11pm to speak at the Wattres Armory. My dad took me to see him in the Junction,
on the same night former Tax Collector and police Chief John Pribula of Exeter passed away that evening at the age of 53 from a heart attack and fifty eight years ago the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Mr. Custer” by Larry Verne proving all music was not so great in '60.
This week we look at the impotent State Legislature and what they did or more to the point didn’t do in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania’s well-paid lawmakers are pretty much done with their duties in Harrisburg until the new year and we assume most are back home relaxing. If you see your lawmaker, we’d suggest you snap them out of vacation/holiday mode for a moment or two with some pointed questions. It is our firm belief the Legislature failed its citizens on two critical fronts in the waning days of this session. First, our fine representatives have finally killed off a well-meaning and taxpayer-friendly proposal that would’ve cut the state’s bloated House membership from 203 legislators to 151. A vote last week was the final nail in the coffin, but the real dagger came last month in a House Rules Committee vote that added language that would also reduce the state Senate’s ranks from 50 to 38. It was a shady way of derailing legislation that was almost at the point of passage after a long fight for a referendum that would go to voters on reducing the size of the House. Now, citizens won’t get that chance. Apparently, some folks we send to Harrisburg don’t think we are worthy of deciding such issues for ourselves — especially issues that would put some of our full-time legislators out of work. We looked at this topic further since we last wrote about it and found the whole situation stinks even worse than we initially believed. Allentown’s Morning Call says three Republicans joined all Democrats to add the poison pill to essentially kill the House reduction plan. They included state Rep. Bob Godshall, of Montgomery County, who is retiring and never has to explain this to voters, and Rep. Judy Ward, of western Pennsylvania, who is running for a state Senate seat. The Morning Call says Godshall and Ward previously supported the bill. But they apparently chickened out when it was becoming close to reality. Locally, state Rep. Mike Carroll, who represents parts of Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, was one of the Democrats on Rules who unanimously supported the amendment they knew would kill House reduction, according to records of roll-call votes. Bad move, Mike. We firmly believe citizens should’ve had the final say, and it was ignorant and arrogant to prevent them from doing so. Also, like we’ve pointed out before, Texas has more than double our population but only a 150-member House, so we don’t buy the argument about how fewer lawmakers will be so bad for Pa. (Texas also has a smaller Senate.) Another issue we failed to get any action on was the effort to create a two-year window for sex-abuse survivors to sue, which was recommended by the grand jury that probed widespread abuse in Roman Catholic dioceses. Top Senate Republicans are the obstacle. The boss in that chamber, Joe Scarnati of Jefferson County, is done making concessions but he’s willing to listen to counterproposals. The GOP’s Senate leaders believe a retroactive suit window is unconstitutional and could take money from Catholic charities. We’re not buying that one either. Since the time to prosecute most of these atrocities has long expired, hitting the Catholic hierarchy in the pocketbook might be the only way remaining to force and maintain real reform. But Scarnati is right about negotiating. The window doesn’t have to be two years, it could be 18 months or less, which would give attorneys less time to canvass for cases. Bottom line: We deserve more from our lawmakers on these two issues and many more. Don’t be afraid to speak up and tell them that. (Source: Times Leader).
Representative Eddie Day Pashinski and challenger Sue Henry squared off in a debate Tuesday night at the Jewish Community Center in Wilkes Barre. The debate was civil and gave the audience contrasting views of the two. Pashinski was polished, methodical and constricted by a time limit. But he tried to explain his views on Property Tax Reform while Henry explained her view on Senate Bill 76. Pashinski wondered why the GOP with full control of the three branches of government didn’t bring it up. Henry said the time for action was now. She said it was ready to pass, but a Democrat, Senator John Blake, (he of The Lac who is running against Tax Reform advocate Frank Scavo) killed it voting no in committee. By himself! Then Lt Governor Mike Stack ended it by voting no. On unions, Pashimski hearkened back to the time when collective bargaining helped middle class families. But those union jobs are dwindling and only a few in the audience seemed to be union members. Henry said that middle class families are squeezed by taxes. On whether to ban teacher’s strikes, Henry said yes. Pashinski again referred back to collective bargaining. On the new school in Wilkes Barre, Pashinski pointed to the diminished state funds to help school districts. Henry felt that the costs outweighed the benefits and the burden would be on property owners. Henry said taxes would rise tremendously with the new building. There was one outburst from the audience, the WB Area Superintend of Schools who said something about touring something or the other. He was shouted down. On the reducing the size of the Legislature, Henry gave a one word answer, “YES!” while Pashinski said State reps need to be closer to the people pointing out that State Senators cover more ground. A reduction in the size he said would cost more money. The tense part of the forum came when Henry said she would not take the $191.00 a day per dim Pashinski gets. She said she’d get the most economical form of transportation and said she’d have her own retirement plan. Pashinski called her statement “a shot” and told the assembled crowd (about 125) that he would continue to work hard in the district. He defended his staff and office budget of $335,000 a year. Reading the crowd, I saw a lot of heads nodding at Henry’s pronouncements. The Pashinski people called Henry rude in her presentation (I honestly didn’t see that!) but the older ladies were “tut tutting” about her. In terms of applause, Pashinski had more support and cheers at the end. So he won the crowd vote but one has to wonder what others who did not clap at the end were thinking. Those will be the voters who decide this race.
SEE FORUM ON TV TOMORROW
If you missed it, our good friend Scott Cannon taped it. It will be on Service Electric Channel 2 tomorrow night. Thanks to the League of Women Voters who did a fine if not prodding job in presenting the candidates.
HERE’S A GOOD ONE
MEDIA ADVISORY: PA GOP Chairman Val DiGiorgio to call out Democrats and liberal dark money groups like PA Fund for Change for deceitful ads and mailers being sent across Pennsylvania
This guy is a piece of work. The Democrats can’t even organize a bus ride and they have a deep state? This guy, every time he opens his mouth makes an ass out of himself.
If you want to know the state of the Republican Party in the nation, all you need do is look at Diaper Don and his set of Senate cronies that will support him come hell or high water. Oh a few like Jeff Flake or Susan "I am woman hear me murmur" Collins will give lip service to how bad he is but in the end they support his war on the middle class and everything else his black heart desires. But in Pennsylvania, we thought there was at least a modicum of common sense. But no, Senate Majority Lender Joe Scarnati blocked a bill that EVERYONE was for. Except him and his GOP caucus that would make Freedom Caucus members in D.C. blush. The bill provides retroactive access to civil courts for survivors blocked by the laws as they existed when they were children. This comes on the heels of the Grand Jury report on Catholic Church clergy who had the statute of limitations run out on them. The law would provide a two year window but Scarnati said it was unconstitutional. Uh, is Scarnati NOW A JUDGE? Because of Scarnati who did not bring it to the floor, that two year window is SHUT! Scarnati at a press conference, channeling Diaper Don said the House version was a "disaster". No specifics here. But then whiny slithery little Joey S. took to task a reporter who asked him a question about why he blocked it. He brought up the old standby line the GOP uses, "I'm the father of (how many kids he spawned, doesn't matter much) and then said he was angry and hurt to be labeled as a pedophile protector. Little Joey S. was getting his little itty bitty feelings hurt. The guy who blocked the bill is ANGRY and HURT. Hey little Joey, how angry and hurt do you think the victims who needed that window open are? Ladies and Gentleman, your REPUBLICAN party on the state level, protecting pedophiles. As Senator Tom Murt, a Republican said the other day, "The statue of limitations are a pedophiles best friend".
So is little Joey Scarnati.
HENRY/PASHINSKI FORUM TOMORROW NIGHT AT JCC
League of Women Voters - WB Forum for the 121st District Seat. The Forum starts at 7pm.
Since Congressman Lou Barletta doesn’t seem to have much going for him in his race for Senate, he continues to attack Senator Casey over an ad. Here’s what I got in the e mail box!
ON CASEY'S DISGUSTING ATTACK AD ON BARLETTA FAMILY
Last week, Senator Bob Casey began running an attack ad against the Barletta family suggesting Lou Barletta would deny health care to his 18-month-old grandson fighting cancer. Casey never mentioned THE FAMILY. Casey’s ad was about pre-existing conditions that are in peril because of Republican policies. No matter how Lou voted, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY has filed a lawsuit to get rid of pre existing conditions. Barletta has not repudiated that action. At the debate, Senator Casey gave a shameful phony apology to the camera, but not to the Barletta family who were in the studio. Casey gave an apology and then said he would pull the ad. But that wasn’t enough. Barletta and his campaign have issued this missive saying it was phony. So now Lou Barletta KNOWS what is in another man’s heart? See there is no good outcome when you apologize to a Republican because they will still whine about how they were wronged………..even if they weren’t! Bob Casey apologized, Lou Barletta by sending this e mail has not accepted it. Big men apologize, little bitty men with itty bitty feelings call the extension of that olive branch phony. Barletta who said this was about his family now has proven all along, IT WAS ABOUT HIM AND HIS CAMPAIGN!~
MEUSER’S RADIO AD
I heard an ad pm the radio from 9th Congressional candidate Dan Meuser against his Democratic opponent Denny Wolfe. Danny Boy went after Wolfe for a number of things but the kicker was the line where I heard, in reference to Meuser, “He’s from here!”. Yeah after he buys himself a house to be in the district. I always wondered what it would be like to win the Powerball but now I’m thinking it might be a better deal to have been a real estate agent for Meuser and Chrin! Meantime, check this gem out!
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO EXCLUDE TRANSGENDER PEOPLE
The New York Times just reported that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning to redefine “sex” in order to exclude transgender people from federal non-discrimination protections — a move that could then erase LGBTQ protections across other federal agencies. While it may sound bureaucratic or technical, their intent is crystal clear: they want to potentially enable discrimination against LGBTQ people in virtually every aspect of our lives. If they proceed, these regulations could have severe consequences for LGBTQ people and our families. We could see same-sex couples turned away from emergency shelters, transgender Americans denied health care, elderly LGBTQ people refused in home meal services, LGBTQ veterans and service members discriminated against in seeking medical care — and other types of discrimination
BEN AND POLLY IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Our buddy Ben Hoon stopped by a Democratic Woman’s event today at Genetti's featuring Sally Sands of the Rockford Peaches. She played with the All American Girls Baseball League. The event was organized by two of the hardest working women in Luzerne County politics, Polly Delaney and Wendy Cominsky.
NEWSMAKERS LOOK AT THE U.S. SENATE RACE BETWEEN LOU BARLETTA AND BOB CASEY
THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
FRIDAY OCTOBER 19th, WBRE TV 11:30am
SATURDAY OCTOBER 20th, WYOU TV 11:30am
PENCE COMING TO FORTY FORT
Vice President Mike Pence will be in Forty Fort next week campaigning for John Chrin in the 8th. The Chrin campaign is becoming reminiscent of the Mark Holtzman campaign in '86 when the challenger to Paul Kanjorski brought everybody in but Reagan. They are doing their best to squeeze every last Republican and Democratic ingrate vote in the Luzerne County to turn this seat red.
MITCH MCCONNELL CALLS FOR SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICARE, MEDICAID CUTS AFTER PASSING TAX CUTS, MASSIVE DEFENSE SPENDING
Do you remember when the lying GOP Senators and Congressmen told you that the tax cuts would pay for themselves? Do you remember when they said the deficit would not balloon? THEY LIED. They also gave more tax breaks to millionaires. Now they are “tut tut tuting” about their sainted grandchildren and how they will be left with a deficit!!! How to pay for it? On the backs of senior citizens and Medicare, social security and Medicaid recipients. They call them entitlements! Remember this when you go to the polls on election day!
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS NOW TRYING TO BLAME THE VERY CHILDREN IT HARMED
The Trump administration may have reached a new low in its campaign of lies about its family separation policy: insisting that most parents “self-separated” from their children, when in fact they were involuntarily ripped apart. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the shocking claim during an interview Trump conducted with the Associated Press this week. “I’ll send you guys the DHS [Department of Homeland Security] report that has the numbers that show that, like, 75 percent of the kids were actually self-separated,” Sanders told the AP reporters. “Their parents chose to go back and signed the paperwork to leave their kids behind.” Any children who were left behind in the U.S. had already been ripped away from their parents at the border. Those separations were not in any way voluntary. Once that happened, the “choice” Sanders claims parents had was an inhuman one. Parents had two options: remain separated from their children, or give up their asylum claims and be deported. The Trump administration deported the parents of 463 such children who remained in U.S. custody. These are the children Sanders claims were “actually self-separated.” But according to court filings, many of those parents were actually tricked into signing away their right to reunify with their children. In July, a Trump administration official admitted that as many as three-quarters of those deported parents were separated from their children without consent. Trump officials have been caught in a series of lies regarding the family separation policy. After Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen publicly denied the policy even existed, documents surfaced showing that she personally signed off on it. At the height of the crisis, Trump tried to claim he was powerless to stop the separations and falsely placed the blame on Democrats. But Trump recently admitted that the cruelty was the point of the policy all along, because it supposedly deters some families from coming. And now Trump is considering a new plan to rip families apart. (AP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, LAURA BUSH TO BE HONORED FOR WORK WITH VETS
Laura and George Bush (Photo: Bush Library)
Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush have been named this year's recipients of the National Constitution Center's Liberty Medal for their commitment to veterans. The Philadelphia museum says the award will be presented by former Vice President Joe Biden on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Biden says in a statement that "veterans and their families devote their lives in service to this country, and that is why initiatives like those at the Bush Institute are critically important." He commends "their efforts to honor and assist these brave men and women." This is the second year Biden has taken part in the Liberty Medal ceremony. Last year, he presented the award to late U.S. Sen. John McCain.
NAACP SEEKS OFFICERS
NAACP CHAPTER ANNOUNCES ELECTIONS FOR PROGRAM YEAR 2019
The NAACP Chapter #2306 announces that nominations for Business Year 2019 are now being accepted for the organization. Nominations are being sought for the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Nominations will also be accepted for the Executive committee which includes at-large members. On Monday, October 22nd, 2018 at 6pm at Breiseth Hall room 106 on the campus of Wilkes University, there will be a report of the Nominating Committee, receipt of Nominations by Petition, and election of the Election Supervisory Committee. All members whose memberships are current as of April 1st of the election year may be nominated for office or as an at-large member of the Executive Committee. In order to sign a nominating petition, or be elected to the Election Supervisory Committee, a member must be current as of 30 days prior to the October meeting. For more info on this NAACP Chapter, check out the NAACP website: http://wbnaacp2306.org Nominating Committee members are David Yonki, Chairman, Toni Mathis, Secretary, Andita Parker Lloyd, Andrew Wilczak, and Reverend Shawn Walker.
Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400-The Game, NEPA's Fox .Sports Radio and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River.
ECTV LIVE
Tim Novo is the scheduled guest for ECTV Live during the week of October 22nd. Tim and his brother Joe have been working on a documentary on Hanssen's Amusement Park which once attracted thousands of visitors to Harvey's Lake in Luzerne County. ECTV Live can be seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas) and is aired during the Noon, 6pm and Midnight hours each day of the week. Following Monday's Live program the show will become available on Electric City Television's YouTube channel which can be viewed on your computer.
BUDDY RUMCHEK
Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”
BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP
SUNDAY NIGHTS!
1960
Our 1960 logo
Henry Cabot Lodge, the Republican vice presidential nominee, predicted that the Cold War could last until 1985...........A woman on the campaign trail tossed a can in the while John f. Kennedy was riding in an open convertible, then tossed the drinking glass into the car. According to an AP report, "Kennedy wiped his face, picked up the tumbler, said calmly 'here's your glass' and handed it back." No arrests were made. Kennedy would later be shot and killed while riding in an open convertible in Dallas. Fidel Castro's government confiscated most of the remaining valuable American-owned businesses in Cuba to retaliate for the United States' embargo on most exports to Cuba. The first fully electronic wristwatch, the Accutron 214, was unveiled by the Bulova Watch Company, along with the tiny watch battery to power it. Promoting the watch as the "First instrument of the space age you can wear and use!", Bulova added "It doesn't even tick ... it hums!" The watch itself went on sale in jewelry stores on November 24, 1960 with the least expensive, stainless steel model retailing for $175 , equivalent to $1,480 in 2018 dollars.
In Chicago, National League owners voted unanimously to expand from eight baseball teams to ten, with new franchises in Houston and New York for the 1962 season In Atlanta, Rev. Martin Luther King was arrested, along with 280 students, for taking part in a lunch counter sit-in at a Rich's department store. Charged with a parole violation from an earlier traffic violation, King was sentenced to four months of hard labor at the Reidsville State Prison, but released three days later after an appeal by Robert F. Kennedy, brother of Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kennedy, to Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver.
Casey Stengel, who had recently guided the New York Yankees to the American League pennant, was fired by the team because he was 70 years old. Stengel would soon be hired by the New York Mets as their first-ever manager....in Pennsylvania unions worry about layoffs from the merging of railroads in the nation….in Wilkes Barre preparations begin for a visit by Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy and fifty eight years ago the number one song in LuLac land and America was “You Talk Too Much” by Joe Jones
Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the great Olympic salute. Athletes of color raised their fists in defiance as they stood on the platform before the world as they received their medals. There was outrage in this country along with pride and understanding in what they were trying to accomplish. In my hometown of Pittston the battle lines were drawn. Everyone had a comment. Much like today with the kneeling of NFL players during the National anthem. Five decades later and people still don't understand that there was and is no disrespect meant to America or the flag. But rather a celebration of the freedom to do so. without fear of physical harm or retribution. It was and is a celebration of a free society. Five decades before Colin Kaepernick and the current crop of disgruntled NFL players utilized silent protest to bring international attention to the plight of Americanized Africans in the land of the free, U.S. Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos seized a moment in time to be eternally etched in the annals of Black Power history. This past Monday marked the 49th anniversary of one of the most incendiary acts of protest committed by athletes. Oct. 16, 1968, during the medal ceremony after their 200-meter race at that year’s summer Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico, African-American sprinters Smith and Carlos, defiantly lowered their heads, thrust their black leather-gloved fists skyward while standing shoeless on the podium as the United States national anthem played. “I looked at my feet in my high socks and thought about all the Black poverty I’d seen from Harlem to East Texas,” Carlos explained in his memoir, “The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World.” “I fingered my beads and thought about the pictures I’d seen of the ‘strange fruit’ swinging from the poplar trees of the South.” Both men were dressed to protest, as an international TV audience observed, discarding their running shoes on their way to the podium, wearing black socks, which symbolized African-American poverty, and a black glove, which represented Black strength and unity. Smith wore a scarf, and Carlos wore beads, reflecting America’s lynching victims. Carlos covered up the USA on his uniform with a black T-shirt, he wrote, to “reflect the shame I felt that my country was traveling at a snail’s pace toward something that should be obvious to all people of goodwill.” He added. “Then the anthem started and we raised our fists into the air.” They had one pair of gloves that they split, Smith taking the right hand and Carlos taking the left. “As the anthem began and the crowd saw us raise our fists, the stadium became eerily quiet,” Carlos recalled. “For a few seconds, you honestly could have heard a frog piss on cotton. There’s something awful about hearing 50,000 people go silent, like being in the eye of a hurricane.” The crowd began booing as photographers clicked away at the three men—including Australia’s Peter Norman, who won Silver in the race—standing, wearing Olympic Project for Human Rights badges. Smith said they, “were just trying to bring attention to injustice in the U.S.” He continued, “I don’t like the idea of people looking at it as negative. There was nothing but a raised fist in the air and a bowed head, acknowledging the American flag, not symbolizing a hatred for it.” At the time, mass anti-Vietnam War protests were occurring across the country, Muhammad Ali’s boxing license had recently been revoked for refusing induction into the military and Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy had been assassinated. By taking a courageous stance, they risked everything and were suspended and banned from the Olympic Stadium. They also received death threats. Carlos, a native Harlemite, said, “I had a moral obligation to step up. Morality was a far greater force than the rules and regulations they had.” Often overlooked is the fact that Smith won the race in a world-record 19.83 seconds. Neither man regrets his actions, which captured the sentiment of that era and also immortalized them. “I went up there as a dignified Black man and said, ‘What’s going on is wrong,’” Carlos stated. Smith added, “It was a cry for freedom and for human rights. We had to be seen because we couldn’t be heard.” (LuLac, Amsterdam News) http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2017/oct/26/black-power-salute-1968-olympics/
Here’s a good one I found for this week’s WOW article. Long time columnist Al Hunt gives us a bird’s eye view of how the world will see two controversial people fifty years from now.
HISTORY WILL SMILE ON COLIN KAEPERNICK. WANNA BET?
Here's a wager that I'll win but will never collect: In 2068, Colin Kaepernick will be celebrated for the courage of his convictions while President Donald Trump will be vilified as a bigoted demagogue. Kaepernick is the former National Football League quarterback who in 2016 knelt during the national anthem before games and inspired other players to join his protest against racial injustice. There was a political backlash, and for the past two years he hasn't had so much as a tryout with any NFL team. (The Seattle Seahawks offered him one if he'd swear off his anthem protest; he refused.) Trump blasted players with obscenities for joining Kaepernick's protest, charging that they were being disrespectful of the military. Not coincidentally, most of them are African-Americans. This is relevant today. On Sunday, several NFL players continued to kneel during the anthem. In the final three weeks before the midterm elections, the president will use any issue to incite his loyalists, including appeals to racial prejudice and phony patriotism. Why 2068? It will be 50 years ago on Tuesday that two U.S. Olympic sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, raised their fists in a black-power salute during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" as they stood on the victory stand at the Mexico City Olympics. (Smith won the gold medal in the 200-meter dash while Carlos took the bronze.) The year before, boxing great Muhammad Ali had been driven out of his sport and widely condemned for refusing the military draft over objections to the Vietnam War. The parallels between Kaepernick and those athletes is striking. Smith and Carlos were kicked out of the Olympic village by the United States Olympic Committee, which has become notorious for its corruption. They were chastised at home, received death threats and were unable to capitalize on their athletic success. Ali was denied a boxing license. In time, all three became symbols of courage. Smith and Carlos were educators, even enlisted by future Olympic committees. In April, the Newseum in Washington, D.C. awarded First Amendment Freedom of Expression Awards to Smith and Carlos. They were introduced by basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who said they had earned a "place in civil rights history" alongside their accomplishments in sports. The outspoken Carlos noted that evening that another award was being given to the New York Times for its revelations about sexual assaults, and pointed out that the Times hadn't been as courageous a half-century earlier in covering the Olympic protests. Ali returned to boxing, and though robbed of three prime years, reclaimed his greatness in the ring. No athlete was more celebrated around the globe. In 1996, in an extraordinarily moving moment, he stood at the top of a stadium in Atlanta, with hands trembling from Parkinson's Disease, to light the Olympic flame. Nine years later, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush. Unlike these three, Kaepernick is not an historically great athlete. But he was a good professional quarterback, leading the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 and the NFC Championship game a year later, and once passed for more than 400 yards in a game. He wasn't a regular starter after that, but certainly has more than enough ability to be a backup quarterback. His protest was best characterized this year by Beto O'Rourke, the Texas Democrat running for the U.S. Senate. "I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights, anytime, anywhere, or in any place" O'Rourke said at a candidate town hall in August. He was immediately assailed by his Republican opponent, Senator Ted Cruz -- a man who embraced Trump even after Trump falsely suggested during the presidential nomination race in 2016 that Cruz's father had links to President John F. Kennedy's assassin. Standing for the "Star-Spangled Banner" has nothing to do with supporting the military. Until 2009, NFL players were in the locker room during the pre-game playing of the anthem. The best rejoinder to Trump's demagoguery came from Carlos in an interview with Sports Illustrated this month. "He called young black men sons of bitches for kneeling," Carlos said. "He said they weren't respecting the military. What did he ever do in the military? And what did any of his children do in the military?" Kaepernick is suing the NFL, accusing the league of colluding to keep him off the field. I expect him to win. Anybody want to bet against me? No? Then how about that bet about his eventual place in history? Oh, how I wish I could be around in 50 years to collect! About The Writer Albert R. Hunt is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal. (c)2018 Bloomberg News Visit Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Location: Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, United States
Political analyst for WBRE TV's Pa. Live program and post election commentator for WBRE TV's Eyewitness News Daybreak show. Author of the book "A Radio Story/We Wish You Well In Your Future Endeavors" and "Leges Vitae" "26 Rules of Life" and the new novel, "Weather Or Knot". The blog editor also writes various news articles and columns as well as upcoming literary projects. The blog editor was a frequent guest on WYOU TV'S INTERACTIVE NEWSCASTS when political issues were discussed on the national, state and local level. Yonki was a weekly panelist on WYLN TV 35's Friday Topic A program. He also appeared on the Hazleton, PA. station on Election Night doing coverage and did special projects and stories for WYLN TV 35's 10PM Newscast "Late Edition".
